Newsletter

Texas Tech spokesman: ESPN did not threaten Tech

Texas Tech spokesperson Blayne Beal said Monday that ESPN never threatened the university to air its Big 12 Conference football game against Texas on the Longhorn Network.

In a July 21 email from Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne that was published by the Dallas Morning News on Nov. 18, Byrne claimed ESPN "Threatened Tech."

"The first year of cable system is the critical startup time," Byrne wrote. "So far no cable systems have signed up. According to (Texas AD) Deloss (Dodds), tu contract calls for one game with best efforts for a 2nd game. ESPN pushing hard to get clearances and inventory. Threatened Tech. Deloss acknowledges ESPN rep did that but he stopped them from doing that anymore. Privately says he can control ESPN, publicly says he can't."

Beal said Monday that Byrne's claim of ESPN threatening Tech is "unequivocally not true."

"ESPN presented a plan," Beal said. "We reviewed it and decided against it."

The email, which contains a series of concerns regarding ESPN and the Longhorn Network, does not list a recipient. In the email, Byrne also notes that A&M needs "...a backup plan. SEC? Pac-12? Bigger-10?"